Boy, 3, pulled from Windham pool

Nearby landscaper performs CPR on boy

A 3-year-old boy was pulled from a swimming pool at his Windham home Wednesday morning.

A landscaper who was working next door performed CPR on Connor St. Laurent and after the boy was found at the bottom of his family’s above-ground pool on Sharon Road.

Matt Pulomena of Design Works Landscaping heard screams from Connor’s mother and rushed to his aid.

“We were working and all of a sudden, I heard a mom yelling, ‘Help, help, help,’ and there she was with her son on her shoulder and I just took off, hopped the fence, jumped on the porch,” Pulomena said. “Connor was on the ground and I felt for a pulse. He didn’t have a pulse, he wasn’t breathing, so I started CPR.”

Pulomena’s instinctive reaction helped breathe life into the little boy.

“It didn’t even take him, I don’t even know, I think it was like a Flash Gordon type thing because he was there and then he was working on that little boy immediately,” said Bill Dufault, a landscaper.

“He made a big difference because in a person who goes down, especially in children, timing is everything,” said Tom McPherson, chief of the Windham Fire Department.

“First, water started running out of his nose and mouth, and probably another few more rounds of CPR and then he took his first breath,” Pulomena said. “I rolled him over and water still came out and everything. He was breathing after that. Thank God the Windham Fire Department was so fast to respond, and I was just like, ‘He’s yours now.’”

“As long as Connor’s alright,” Dufault said. “I’m just thrilled and it’s a great day and I’m so proud. I’m just glad that we were here.”